The present invention concerns automotive transmission shifters, and in particular concerns a bearing arrangement for pivotally mounting a shift lever to a base.
A number of different bearing arrangements for pivotally mounting a shift lever to a shifter base have been developed. However, known bearing arrangements typically include pieces which are inherently difficult to manufacture and assemble in a reliable and consistent manner. For example, some bearing arrangements use a pivot pin for pivotally mounting the shift lever to the base. The pivot pin is first extended through the shift lever and the base, and then clinched at one end to hold the pivot pin in place. However, clinching is a difficult process requiring special equipment and fixtures to reliably repeatably perform. Further, not all pivot pins deform in the same manner or to the same degree making it an even more difficult process. Still further, care must be taken to assure that an adequate amount of lubricant remains on the pivot pin after assembly and to assure that the pivot pin does not otherwise unacceptably bind. Another alternative to clinching is to use a spring clip that snaps onto an end of the pivot pin. However use of a spring clip is not entirely satisfactory since it requires a separate part, is relatively expensive, and further requires a tedious subassembly operation.
Thus, improvements are desired which facilitate assembly while also minimizing part cost and maximizing reliability and consistency of assembly.